Continuing to refer to today’s own experiences and choises, in relation to some theories.
This time in relation to this about buying criteria. I quite recently read the book buy-ology, so this is also refering to it’s theories.
Isn’t it so that our buying criteria get more and more complex, the further up the Maslow pyramid we climb. And for Swedish people like me, living in the top-right-corner country on the World Value Map.
And now the connection to this about time.
Because, isn’t it so, that it is not just me having the time and ethic criteria in the very top of the my buying/acting priority-criteria?
Poor all these people who need to or at least like to predict our shopping or acting.
And as Martin Lindström concludes in his book buy-ology, people themselfs can’t say in beforehand either. Or, they can say, but it seldom turns out to be correct. That is, in questions like: Would you buy this, would you follow this TV-serie, does this advertisement affect you to buy, etc
Personaly I am quite aware that my behaviour might seam in-consistent. And it will definitly be very hard to predict, as it is so many parameters. I try myself to figure out my shopping preferenses. Not that I have that much need for that information, but the subject interests me.
And I guess, hum pretty sure actually, that it comes from my will to act 8including shop) in accordance with my values.
And belive me, that is a tricky thing!
- Which values are these actually? And what does they mean, translated to my decision criteria in every day life?
- And even if I manage to figure that out, how do I get hold of the data I like to get hold on to be able to take all these fantastic and ethicly correct decisions. Again: According to my own criteria.
- In some areas the providers do try to help me, or different organizations can help me a bit on the way. For example I try to buy quite a lot on Body Shop, because I trust them to be good-enough-in-line with my values. Pretty much in-line actually. But if I should aim to be that convinced before any action/shopping decision I would starv to death before I found all the input data.
So, saying this I can also say that I am apparently quite in line with my time. I just read this article 8 medvetna trender, by Camilla Tollstoy in Kupe March 2013 (The Swedish railway company’s monthly free magazin, the title in english: 8 consious trends)
The point being, we are moving towards individuals more consious then before activly figure-out and decide which values they like to act according to.
But as I said: To act, not just say or think, is a challanging thing.
For the individual, as well for the ones trying to predict us. Might be easy to figure out these values of ours, even to figure out the decision criteria we would like to act upon.
But as we nearly never will be able to act accordingly, that is not such a good help.
What I see in my cristal ball. Or at least I hope for! And as it seams I am not such a strange creature after all, it is more a question of when ”someone” will take the opportunity to help me out. This goes for all of my decisions in life, privately, as an employee as well as an employer. As I happen to have quite a big opportunity to actaully act in accordance with my ethic values, I like to use that opportunity.
And I do not mind paying or giving it a bit extra time to act more accordingly.
Ooops nearly forgetting to do the IRL connection. Here it comes, continuing on my IRL article from earlier today ”My ”time-theory” tested IRL”, which ended with me taking the decision to go and buy some paper for the office, business with pleasure
A great combination!
Turned out that before I even get out of the door, I found more un-expected-water-damage to put highest on my priority list, so I took care of that first and then off I went. Sunny weather, so I took the opportunity to take a longer walk to the city then necessary. Once ther I went to a favorite store of mine, Claes Olson. I find it very relaxing strolling around there. (Pleasure again!
) Finding the paper. Hum shall I buy a full box? No too heavy as I shall walk home as well. But I realy wanted paper with pre-stamped holes. They did not have that, so: Which decision to take?
- Go to another store today? Rather not, did not feel for that.
- Wait till tomorrow and hope I did not run out of paper in beforehand? Low risk to ran out of paper becaue as this day turned out I have not even get started with the paper-consuming-activities yet. But I want to have this buying-paper just done, tick it off my list. I can do the holes myself, it takes a bit more time.
- Buy them, and thereby also buy myself some time. I do not need to bother about this problem for the rest of this weekend anyway, and I can buy those pre-holed paper as soon as it suites me better. I will have use of these non-holed-papers eventually as well, anyway.
I bought the paper, and pleased with myself I rememberd that I had not eaten any lunch. Considerd where to go and where to eat I landed at a cafe, where I could sit outdoor in the sun.
And all these choises! So, what to order. A rather long que, which suited me perfect at this occation as it gave me plenty of un-stressed-decision-time
I first decided for choclate and strawberry-cake, then changed to chai-latte and strawberry-cake. Then it happend that the person just before my ordered chocolate and strawberry-cake, and I did not identify myself with him at all, childish? Might be so, but why not? Anyway, now: Should I not care about my spontanious reaction and calmly stay with my decision, or should I stress-change my decison? Lucky me, firstly then I saw the scones, standing a bit behind everything else, so I had not noticed them before. I love scones
So, scones I ordered.
Then it was so lovely there out in the sun. Apparently I stayed a bit too long, and did not thought about closing-time, though I had all time in the world. I was namely to buy sushi on my way home, which I have already asked my partner if he wanted for this evening, and he sounded very glad when he said yes, so I wanted to keep that promisse. Went to a ”normal” grocery store, they were open but did not sell sushi. But going around in there I reminded myself of a sushi-bar actually in the same block. Normaly I am not a sushi-lover, but I felt for it today. Anyway: I am not that fully updated on where it is sold.
Going back to my ethical-values. I do not eat meat any-longer, but I still eat fish and see-food. Lets see for how long. Because that is so ethical-tricy. Standing there waithing for our sushi, looking at the pictures of the menu, I rememberd myself: Had I not decided to scip scrimps? Or wat was my decision? Was it just an intention? Was it just the giant-scrimps? I just dropped that thought, took my sushi (with scrimps in) and took a very nice walk home in the sun. Enjoying seeing all these young, around 20, coming in groups, joifully talking, a little wine or beer with them, moving out to the sofas in the park in the sun. Saturday afternoon
So, conclution: My actual buying might not be that easy to predict, but I definitly stand in line for that ”support to act ethical – in accordance with my own value-criteria”.
But now: Some sushi. Was too late to buy white wine which I would have liked now. Migh go for the red one already at home.
And then I might just allow me to write one more short little article about the Wizard from Oz